So....yes... like every bride-to-be, I am trying to lose weight. I exercise like crazy and I'm anything but inactive, but I always joke that I do this so I can eat. And I do.
My biggest issue lies in the fact that growing up I had a really high metabolism. So even all through my college years when I ate nothing but crap and drank beer every night of the week, I maybe only gained a few pounds, but maintained my weight. I never had to worry about what I was eating...so I never learned that self control.
And then I hit my mid-20's.... {insert tire screeching noise symbolizing my metabolism}...
I'm usually at a desk eight hours a day. But I'm still active with working out, dance classes, riding my bike, etc. But again... I do this to maintain because of my eating habits.
Now don't get me wrong. I'm not eating McDonalds every day - I actually can't even remember the last time I ate McDonalds. I have a reasonable diet... but I have no portion control... instead of having one bowl of cereal, I might have three. I also love going out to eat with my fiance...again, not making crazy bad choices, but we all know what the portions are at restaurants.
I also have no eating schedule...with work and everything else going on, sometimes I don't eat dinner until 10pm. And lunch is never at the same time every day. Good news is, I do eat breakfast every day...so that's good.
But it probably doesn't do me any favors that my favorite food is Italian, I love my white wine, and I have a sweet tooth like no other.
I eat healthy MOST of the time...and I eat the bad stuff in moderation. So that with my active lifestyle helps me maintain my weight...
...but...I will be the first to admit that I need to lose 10 pounds and get back to my college weight if not lighter. I'm in great shape...I've got lots of muscle, but I've got that extra pounds I need to shed, and I want to get leaner. And what better motivation to do this than for my wedding, right?
And I know that in order to start shedding pounds, I HAVE to start lowering my daily calories and actually being conscious of what's going in my mouth. I actually tracked my calories for a month using MyFitnessPal and I think I lost like three pounds (they're already back), so I know that tracking my calories works. So I need to get my act together and just do it (sorry Nike)!
And yes Christy, this means no more glasses of Chardonnay at night before bedtime. And speaking of bedtime Christy... this means going to bed before midnight! Lack of sleep hinders weight loss.
And yes...I talk to myself.
I know all of the weight loss tricks....eat more fiber, drink more water, get more sleep, cut back on calories, eat lean proteins, dinner should be smallest meal, don't drink sodas...etc., etc., etc. I'm educated... I just don't follow through with these, and I need to.
My mom said she's buy me a membership to Weight Watchers for my birthday... my fiance told me once it would be a waist of money because I should be able to count my calories and do it myself without a program...but can I? I know a lot of folks who have lost a lot of weight (and kept it off) using Weight Watchers. Thoughts?? Is it worth the try if it's a gift?
What I really need advice (therapy?) on is how to keep my stress from sabotaging my healthy eating. The biggest issues I have is that stress or bad days are my food trigger... just like an addict is triggered by certain things to want to use, I am triggered by stress and emotions to want to eat!
A lot of people have told me, "Don't worry! You'll lose a ton of weight right before the wedding because you'll be so busy and stressed, and you won't eat as much." This is true for some people - my sister looked fantastic on her wedding day..and she told me it was mainly due to a combination of more jogs and lots and lots of stress.
But this scares me...because for me, stress makes me EAT! Like..."I've had a bad day I'm ordering a pizza" type of eating. And if it's a really bad day, that pizza will include a bottle of wine and ranch to dip it in!
My triggers can even be minor...let me give you an example... the other day I was going to get lunch on my lunch break from work. Subway is a hop, skip, jump away and I was going to get my usual turkey sandwich on wheat, lettuce, tomato, light mayo with a water bottle (see? healthy!).
I pull into the parking lot, which is typically full at lunch time. I'm already not looking forward to waiting in line inside. I see a car start to pull out of a spot..so I put my blinker on and wait. The car pulls out. And then...out of no where... some girl in a beat up POS car comes out of nowhere and PULLS INTO THE SPOT. I'm just sitting there with my blinker on, mouth hanging open..."Oh no she didn't!".
I've already had kind of a rotten day, so this was just the straw that broke the camel's back. I put my car into reverse {screeching tire wheel noise again} and think "Forget Subway! Grr!". Don't worry, I 'waved' to the girl who stole my spot before I pulled off. My driving anger issues I will save for another confession post. :)
Anyways...so of course I go to the next convenient place to get lunch... Arby's. It's right next door to Subway. Crap. So much for healthy. I pull up to the drive through and make the healthiest Arby's choice I could...well...not really...but somehow ordering a turkey wrap (which I know in the back of my head ISN'T really that healthy..but ignore) makes me feel better about the fries and Diet Coke. (And I know what you're thinking, "Christy...all of this could have been avoided if you made your lunches and brought them to work!". I know, I know...but who has time to make lunches??)
As you can see...all it takes is a stolen parking spot to trigger me to evil food.
In my mind, this is the greatest challenge I will face as I start my battle to lose some pounds before my big day. I have four months and a little over a week. Is it possible to lose 10 pounds that fast??
I'm also throwing around the idea of once August starts, not drinking any more beer - just low calorie liquors, and only drinking the low cal liquors on special occasions like my birthday, football games, bachelorette, etc. This presents another issue for me: I am not fun when I'm liquor drunk and usually don't know my limits with liquor to keep me from getting liquor drunk... :)
I'm also thinking of rewarding myself for every 2 pounds lost - like...2 pounds=$50 to spend on a new dress or something.
So..................... long post. Guess I'm making up for not posting much last week.
So ladies...share your weight loss secrets, successes, failures.... and how do you keep the stresses of life from ruining your diet?
Posted in: Wedding,Work Out
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